Exhibitions
Viking Ships Exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland: until September
Learn the Viking tradition of rope-making and watch shipbuilders build a replica of a small Viking boat in the National Museum in Kildare St. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free guided tours. Tel: 016777444.
Permanent Exhibition at the Natural History Museum
Young visitors may be surprised by their discoveries - free activity sheets make exploration more fun. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission free. Tel: 01-6777444.
The Mad Hatter's Exhibition at the Dublin Writer's Museum: until September 30th
Jonathan Barry's oil paintings take their inspiration from children's stories such as Alice in Wonderland. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission free.
The Dublin Writer's Museum permanent collection which includes Seomra na nOg, a children's room with work by children's authors, can be seen separately. During July and August, the Seomra na nOg will double as a children's reading room with books supplied by Easons. Admission: adults £3, children £1.40. Tel: 01-8722077.
Town Hall Theatre, Galway: June 26th & 27th
Over 1,000 primary school children have aided the Belfast community-based artist Ken Parker in the creation of A Celtic Maze, an enormous 3D maze representing the myths of Ireland in the 1990s. Admission free. Opening hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tel: 091-569777.
Outdoors
Dublin Zoo: July/August
Unfortunately, the annual summer camps which begin on July 12th are booked out. However the Young Zoologist Days for four to 12-year-olds go ahead on August 25th and 26th (Cost £10 for members, £12 for non-members per day). Other special children's events include pet care day on July 10th, a photo workshop on July 16th and a safari trail on August 21st. (£5 for non-members, members free). The Zoo is open from Monday to Saturday 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last adm 5 p.m.) Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last adm 5 p.m.) Admission: Adult £6, children £3.50. Tel: 01-6771425.
Fota Wildlife Park: July/August
At summer camps for four to 12-year-olds, participants will learn how animals adapt to various environments, capture and study microscopic animals, explore conservation trails and feed the giraffes. (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 5th to 9th and 19th to 23rd, £46 per week). Summer Safari Days with similar activities run from August 18th to 20th (£12 per child per day or £30 for the three days). In Carrigtwohill (near Cobh), it is open from Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last adm 5 p.m.) and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last adm 5 p.m.) Admission: adults £4.40, children £2.50. Tel: 021812678.
Bog Train Rides
Hop on to Ireland's only passenger train to travel through a bog; the Blackwater bog in Shannonbridge, Athlone, Co Westmeath. Tours run daily on the hour from 10 a.m. (11 a.m. start on Sundays) to 5 p.m. Admission: adults £3.95, children £2.50. Also, groups can head out on a nature trail with a difference - aboard a floating wooden platform which rests on an area of conserved bog. (Two-hour tour £6, three-hour tour £8.50) Tel: 0905 74114.
Grand Canal Barge Tours
Robertstown, Co Kildare is the start point for barge tours along the Grand Canal on Sundays and bank holidays throughout the summer. Tours run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: adults £3, children £2.50 Tel: 045 870005.
Festival Fun
A Sense of Cork Midsummer Arts Festival: June 23rd to July 4th
The Torc of Gold, an opera for young people featuring The National Chamber Choirs and local school choirs tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Cork Opera House, is the first of many child-friendly activities. Also worth checking out are children's readings on Friday and Tuesday/Wednesday next; the Victorian Street Fair on Sunday, art workshops in Cork City Gaol on Saturday and in Ballincollig throughout this week, and a picnic in Bishop Lucey Park on Sunday, July 4th from 12 noon. Tel: 021310597.
Galway Arts Festival: July 10th to 25th
Children's events include a musical participation concert for three to eight-year-olds, performed by Paul Hann (July 16th & 17th, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Town Hall Theatre, tickets £3.50) and Troll and In the Pink, two short musical pieces for three to six-year-olds from Tutti Frutti (July 20th to 22nd, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. An Taibhdhearc, £3.50).
Older children will also enjoy Theatre Talipot's The Water Carriers (seven years and upwards) and Cultural Industry's Shockheaded Peter (10 years and upwards) and Jo Bithume's Hello Mr Jo (10 years and upwards). Outdoor events suitable for all the family are the ESB Millennium Drum Carnival on July 16th at 7.30 p.m. The Macnas Parade, Cargo de Nuit, which begins at 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 18th followed by fireworks from the French pyrotechnicians, Groupe F.
Also, An Seol Mor, the presence of hookers, gleoteogs, nobies, yawls, pucans and other traditional sailing vessels in Galway Bay from Friday, July 9th to Sunday July 11th will be a visual treat for all the family. Tel: 1890566577.
Kilkenny Arts Week: August 13th to 22nd
The ESB Millennium Big Drum, together with the Copenhagen Sax Quartet and a family of supreme stiltwalkers, will provide the colourful and energetic introduction to this year's arts week on Friday August 13th. Music, drama, art, puppet-making and rap poetry workshops run throughout the week. Also street theatre, a parade and a family fun day. Children's films are shown in the Kilkenny Cineplex every morning from August 16th to August 20th. Tel: 056-63663.
